Groot Constantia
When you move to a new city, you unfortunately have to leave all the amazing friends you have made through the years behind. Which are rather sad moments but when you discover that one of your good friends is coming to visit then you snap out of your sullen mood. And you eagerly count down the days until her arrival. So, one of my fabulous friends from Johannesburg (she is a Cape Townian however has been living in Jozi for a few years now) came to Cape Town to visit her family and to see me of course. Being that she knows more about Cape Town than I do, she wanted to take me to see the winelands. We ventured into the Constantia Kloof area and stopped at Groot Constantia for a late lunch.
The Venue
Groot Constantia is an impressive winelands containing bountiful fields of vineyards. There is a plethora of activities available for visitors, ranging from wine tasting, exploring museums to dining at different restaurants. You could easily spend an entire day here. And they do offer packages which would enable you to access all they offer at a fairly reasonable price.
As we were planning to go elsewhere for supper and did not have as much time to experience all of which they had to offer, we chose to just have a late lunch. We chose to sit at the outside seating area as it was a scorching hot summer’s day. The area is shielded with large umbrellas providing some much-needed shade to cool down.
Menu
The menu at the restaurant was quite vast offering varying options to suit different palates. I chose the starter portion of mussels in a white sauce topped with crusty bread. As I said we were planning on having dinner elsewhere. And I didn’t want to have a big meal for fear of not being able to order anything later, food goals are real. However, much to my surprise, for a starter portion there was a lot of mussels. This could actually be served as a main and I am quite certain there will be no arguments from patrons. The mussels were delectable and combined with the thick creamy white sauce, it was a match made in culinary heaven. And being able to dip your crusty bread into the sauce and bite into it was such a glorious treat.
Mains
My friend chose a Thai styled chicken salad which was also a rather large helping. I was advised that the chicken was cooked perfectly and was juicily tender. And coupled with the crunchiness of the vegetables as well as the seeds and creaminess of the dressing, it provided the precise balance between texture and flavour. It was certainly not an ordinary salad but rather a satisfying wholesome meal.
Dessert
I also have the habit of checking the dessert menu. Even if they may not necessarily be any space available in my stomach (I am not even kidding). As you never know what you may stumble upon and how thankful your taste buds would be to you for that mere peak. One of my all-time favourite desserts is a cheesecake. We even have a family-secret recipe for the best cheesecake you will ever come across. So naturally when I saw it staring back at me from the menu, there was no doubt that I had to have it. The cheesecake was delicious, it was smooth and fluffy with a lovely biscuit crust and topped with a berry coulis. The crunch in the base combined with the smooth cheesecake and tart berry coulis worked well together providing an overall indulgence.
My only critique of the cheesecake was that the biscuit crust was too thick. This resulted in me having to stab the base with my spoon as it became quite tough. And as you can imagine it was not a pleasant sight in a busy restaurant.
Recommendation
All in all, the meals were both delicious as well as fairly reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend you give them a try. The staff were friendly, and the manager popped by quite a few times during our visit to enquire if we were satisfied with everything. The atmosphere was cheery, trendy and inviting you to partake in a meal.
After your meal, you can stroll through the large garden areas overlooking the vineyards. There are benches available for you to take in the breathtaking views you are surrounded by. And if you have more time to spend at Groot Constantia, why not try one of the other activities they have on offer. Throughout the estate there are benches available offering breathtaking views of your surroundings.
Please let me know if you have been to Groot Constantia. Have you done any of the other activities available, how was your experience? Did you enjoy their food?
If you liked this, why don’t you check out my post on my dining experience at Sevruga at the V and A Waterfront, Cape Town.
Groot Constantia Contact Details:
Tel: 021-7945128
Fax: 021-7941999
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.grootconstantia.co.za/